Taken Away
by boswifedeb
Summary: Matt is already dealing with bad news of his own when a call from Brian Landers starts a chain of events that will forever change the course of more than one life. Rated T. **Immediately follows "Flash Mob"**
1. Chapter 1

**Taken Away**

 ****This story immediately follows "Flash Mob"****

" _You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."_

 _Desmond Tutu_

**CHAPTER ONE**

 _Houston, Texas: Tuesday, 7:00AM_

He saddled up the horse – something that he had done so many times in his life that he could, and often had, done it in his sleep. Mounting up, he swung away from the barn and went out through the gate to the pasture and beyond, the sights and sounds of early morning on the ranch that were usually comforting to him now only bringing sadness to his heart. After all those years of not really having a family he had finally gotten his wish and was happier now than he could ever remember. But the years and the miles seemed to have finally caught up to him and the conversation at the doctor's office the day before echoed through his mind.

" _It's cancer."_

" _No, there's gotta be some kind of mistake."_

" _It's spread to your liver, lungs, and pancreas. There really isn't anything we can do. I can refer you to someone who can help you with the discomfort..." She had reached across and patted his hand._

" _How long?"_

" _It's really hard to say. It could be weeks, maybe even months..."_

" _But it's pretty much a done deal, huh?"_

" _I'm so sorry."_

He rode out to the spot that he loved, a place where he could look out over the herd of cattle and enjoy the breeze that usually blew in and watched as the sun shone on the drops of dew that were clinging to the grass. All those situations that he had been in over the years, all the close calls and near-misses he had dealt with as they happened; but now something that he couldn't even see except on the damn x-rays and ultra sound pictures, something that didn't even seem real to him had accomplished something that all those wild times hadn't been able to do. He was scared. For years he had tempted Death and now, when he least expected it, Death was there knocking on his door saying, _"Surprise – I'm really coming for you this time."_ No way out, no way to cheat it. People complained that life wasn't fair. He spoke outloud. "Neither is Death." The phone in his pocket rang and he answered and listened. "Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Hanging up he turned the horse back toward the barn but stopped and turned back to look out over the land that he loved again. How many more times would he get the chance? But they needed him now; he gently nudged the mare and went back to the barn. There were a lot of things that he needed to take care of now. Best not to put it off any longer.

 _Thursday, 8:20AM_

"Damn it!" Matt hit the button on the cell phone for what seemed like the tenth time that morning, not even checking the caller ID. "Houston."

"She's gone again."

"Brian?" The PI snapped out of the brooding mood that he had been in, his mind instantly coming to bear on the sixteen year old boy on the phone. "What happened?"

"I don't know." It was obvious that Brian was doing his best not to lose control. "She called me yesterday afternoon and said she would be late getting home – they wanted her to work over. When I got up this morning she still wasn't here." He stood in the doorway to his mom Lisa's bedroom and looked at the bed that hadn't been touched. "I checked my phone; she had texted me about 2:00AM. It didn't make sense."

"What did it say?" He pulled into the parking lot of a home improvement store.

"I love you. Call Houston." Brian's voice cracked as he recited the message. "I know she wouldn't start doing drugs again. She promised."

Matt was at a loss for words. He had met Brian while CJ was pregnant with Catey. The boy had turned up in his barn after being homeless for a month when his mother had disappeared while buying drugs. The PI had tracked her down, put her through a rehab program, and she had been doing great ever since. "Are you still at home?"

"Yeah."

Houston snuck a look at his watch. "You're supposed to be in class right now, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but..." He heard the catch in the boy's voice.

"I'm going to come get you. You need to get to school and I'll..." He shook his head. "I'll see about trying to find her."

"I can't go to school now! What if...?"

"If she was there she would tell you to get to school, Bri. You know that. Be waiting for me outside, okay?"

"You're in town?"

"Yeah."

"Houston..."

"Do it, bud. I'll see you as quick as I can get there."

"Okay."

Matt hit the speed dial on his phone and in a minute heard the voice of his childhood friend Chuck Wylie on the line. "Where the hell are you, man? The bailiff just came out and said you'll be getting called to testify in about..."

"Brian just called: Lisa's missing again."

"I'll call the office and get somebody looking for her. You better get here."

"I've gotta take him to school." God, his head was pounding!

"Use the siren."

"Yeah, right."

"No, I mean it. Judge Krenzky will pitch a fit and find you in contempt if you aren't here when you're supposed to testify." There was a string of curses on the other end of the line. "I'll call Sheriff Martinez and let her know, man. Come on."

"Okay. See ya." He hit the siren and headed through the traffic to the apartment complex where the Landers family lived.

Brian looked scared as his friend stopped at the curb. "Oh, my God! Is she okay?"

"I'm just trying to get you to school, pard. C'mon." He waited until the boy put his seatbelt on and then took off.

Looking over at him, the boy could tell something was wrong. "I'm sorry."

Houston shook his head and rubbed his left temple as he swung out into the lane of traffic while motorists edged over out of his way and the siren came to life once again. "You don't have anything to be sorry for, pard. Chuck is calling the sheriff and she's going to get the ball rolling looking for your mom."

"But I thought you were..."

"I've got to get to court. As soon as I get out of there I'll get on it." He looked over at the teen who stared at him in disbelief. "Brian, I don't have a choice right now. The sheriff will put somebody good on your mom's case."

"But..."

"I can't be everywhere at once!" His temper was getting the better of him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. The judge has already threatened me with contempt because I wasn't there yesterday. If I don't show up today, I'll be in jail and won't be able to find your mom." Now he felt like a complete ass. "I'm sorry. Just as soon as they cut me loose I'll be on it: I swear it."

"Okay." The boy looked over at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah...I've just..." Matt paused. "I've got a lot going on right now. Sorry to be such a jerk." He cut the siren just as he got to the driveway of the school. "Tell the principal what's going on and that if he needs to, to call me – alright?" Putting a hand on the boy's shoulder he softened his tone. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay." As soon as Brian reached the front door of the building, Matt dropped the SUV into gear and took off out of the parking lot, the siren coming to life once again as he got to the street. He didn't see the teen turn away from the door and begin walking back toward the road.

 _Thursday, 8:53AM_

"Well, if it isn't Sergeant Houston..." The sarcasm practically dripped from every syllable as Matt hurried into the courtroom with the bailiff. "How nice that you could join us today." After being sworn in, he took the stand and began answering the questions from the assistant district attorney and then had to go through the defense attorney's cross-examination. After two hours he was finally excused along with Chuck. As they got outside of the courtroom, Matt turned his phone back on, the screen lighting up with call after missed call.

"Hey, you okay?" Chuck hustled out to the parking lot with his longtime friend.

"Yeah..." The tie that he had been wearing was removed and he unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt, the jacket coming off immediately following.

"Gotta say you aren't real convincing." He watched as Matt scanned the list of calls and hit the screen to return one of them.

"Hey, have y'all got anything yet?" He got behind the wheel of the SUV and hit the speaker button, Chuck standing in the open truck door next to him as the voice of his boss, Harris County Sheriff Francine Martinez came in loud and clear.

"I sent De la Cruz to talk to her boss. They confirm that she worked over until 1:00AM. The last time she was seen was when she got into her car. We've got an APB out for her and the car, but there haven't been any hits so far. But I've got some bad news."

"Great. Just what I need. What?"

"Young got out of jail last week." She waited for a reply.

Matt thought his head was going to explode. "How?" He tried to sound as calm as he could. Zachary Young had been the drug dealer who had held Lisa Landers prisoner for over a month; she had been prostituted out to "repay" him for the drugs that she had tried to steal from him.

"His lawyer got the conviction overturned when it was discovered that one of the jurors had lied on part of the pre-trial questionnaire."

"And did anybody bother to warn Lisa?"

"I didn't know anything about it, Houston. If I had..."

"Where is he?"

"De la Cruz is trying to track him down now. Here's his number." She rattled off the detective's phone number and Matt jotted it down in a notebook. "Whatever you need, you've got, Houston. You've already got De la Cruz and you can have Chuck, too." Although she hadn't known him for a long time, she sensed that there was more going on with him than just the news of Lisa Lander's disappearance and his near-jailing over the failure to appear in court the day before. She had explained to the judge herself that Houston had been grounded by bad weather while he was trying to fly into the city the night before his court appearance but the Honorable Judge Karol Krentzky had threatened to have him arrested the moment his plane landed anyway. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah...just peachy." The PI flipped open the console and reached in for a bottle, removing two capsules and popping them into his mouth followed by a swallow of cold coffee.

"Look, I'm sorry. I really had no idea. I just got back into town myself yesterday."

"I appreciate the help."

"Tell you what..." She got up and crossed her office, waving in her secretary. "I'm going to get to work on this myself. I feel kind of responsible."

"No need."

"I want to..." Covering the receiver she told the secretary to cancel all of her appointments. "Now: I'm sitting here in front of my computer. What does my ace detective need me to do?"

Although he didn't much feel like it, he couldn't help but smile. "Try to figure out who Young might be associating with now – where they live, work, whatever. Any vehicles or phone numbers that might be involved..."

"Yes sir, Sergeant."

"Thanks." He hung up, looking to Chuck. "Got any ideas?" He punched Pedro De la Cruz's number into his phone while his friend thought through the situation. "Hey, it's Houston. Have you got anything else?"

"Nothing except for the fact that his mother has no use for him – or anybody else for that matter. The edited version of her statement was that she has no idea where he is...and really doesn't care."

"Great. Okay, I'm going to call Lyons and see if he has any ideas. He helped me find her last time – maybe he'll be able to help this time, too."

"I'm going to try some of my CI's; maybe one of them has heard something."

"Thanks." Hanging up, he looked through his contacts for Mark Lyons. The call was answered after ringing twice. "Hey there – it's Houston. I need your help."

"Looking for Lisa Landers again? I heard the alert. What can I say? Sometimes they fall off the wagon when you least expect it."

"Her son doesn't seem to think so."

"Family members are blind to it a lot, Houston. Sometimes they see what they want to see." Eight years of dealing with drug dealers and users on the Narco Squad had left Lyons somewhat jaded.

"Still – it's a possibility that she was taken. Got any ideas?" He closed his eyes for a minute wishing that the pain in his head would just go away.

"Not really. I'll see what I can run down."

"I appreciate it." There was a click and Lyons was gone.

Worry crossed Chuck's face. "Something else is wrong besides this deal with Lisa. What is it?"

"I'll tell you later." Matt took another swallow of the cold coffee. "Right now we need to concentrate on finding her."

"What about Brian?" The cop knew that Matt and CJ had been granted temporary custody of the boy a couple of years earlier when he turned up in the barn. "You might want to call that caseworker at TFPS that helped y'all out last time."

"And while I'm doing that I'm not looking for Lisa."

"But I will be...believe it or not I'm a pretty damn good detective – I had a good teacher." He watched as his old friend nodded. "Now, where were you going to start?"

"Well...she texted Bri at about 2:00AM. Why don't you see who else she's been talking to lately and see if you can get a hit on her cell." He wrote down the number and handed it over.

"You got it." Wylie turned and started away.

"Chuck..." Houston watched as his oldest friend turned back to face him. "Thanks. For everything." He closed the door on the SUV and pulled out of the lot heading toward the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services builiding on 40th. Once inside he found the office he was looking for and after waiting impatiently in line for a couple of minutes made it up to the reception counter. Flashing his badge, he spoke. "I need to speak to Wanda Burton, please."

"I'll see if she's in..." Rolling over to a magnetic board, the receptionist adjusted her glasses and then rolled back to the sliding glass window. "I'm sorry, Sergeant. She's in a meeting in Judge Maynard's chambers." By the time she looked back up, all she saw was the tall man going out the door.

Matt went back down to the ground floor and ran across the street. The judge's secretary shook her head no before he even got out what he needed. "She's in a meeting..."

"With Wanda Burton, yes ma'am. I need to see both of them. It's an emergency." As the words left his mouth the door to the judge's office opened and Burton started out. "Miss Burton?" He approached.

"Mr. Houston? What on earth...?"

"I'm sorry, but I really need to talk to you and Judge Maynard – please." There was a slight rustle and the judge appeared in the doorway.

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes ma'am. Please – I need to talk to both of you. It's about Brian Landers."

"Come in." Maynard remembered what had happened two years before, but was somewhat surprised when she saw the badge on Matt's belt and the Glock in the shoulder holster that he now had on. "What's wrong?"

He explained what had happened. "Please – I know I'm not going about this the right way, but could you help me out here? I need to get temporary custody of Brian again."

"We..." Maynard looked into his eyes and saw the desperation there. "Wanda, can you expedite the paperwork for Mr. Houston?"

"I can."

"Look I really can't stick around right now; I've got to try to find her."

"That's okay." Maynard smiled, nodding at the badge. "We know exactly where to find you. Good luck and report back to Wanda tomorrow morning."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Both of you." He turned on his heel and hurried back out of the office, his phone ringing as he got back to the truck.

"Houston."

"Lyons here. I've got a lead on Young. Meet me at St. Elmo's Street just north of the Sunrise Motel."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

 _Thursday, 12:23PM_

CJ descended the steps of the jet, Catey Rose holding her right hand while she cradled seven month old Michael Wade Houston in her left arm. Upon seeing Marty Hoffmann standing beside the SUV parked in front of the hangar at the William P. Hobby Airport the little girl smiled and turned loose of her mother's hand at the bottom of the steps and ran directly into the waiting arms of the foreman of the Houston's Texas ranch. Sweeping her up in a big hug, the man looked to her mother who, although clearly not happy, appeared calm as usual. "How ya doin', Little Lady?" He held the bundle of energy out away from him just enough to get a good look at her.

"I'm great!" The smile on the two year old's face was so much like her dad's it was amazing to the cowboy.

"Good. Let's get you buckled in so I can help your mama, okay?" He helped her into the carseat, receiving a kiss on the cheek as he did, then reached back out and took Mike from his mother. "You're getting big, boy." The baby smiled and gurgled at him. Sheila was now loading Vinny into his carseat, and the twin let out with a happy squeal. After going to the jet for the remainder of the luggage that the two women had brought along and loading it into the back hatch, Marty slid behind the wheel.

"Where is he?" CJ's voice gave away her emotions.

"Working." Marty shook his head. "He's taking it a lot better than the rest of us." As he waited at the light just outside of the airport he looked over at her. "It just...it ain't right, CJ. After all he's done in his life I can't believe that something like this is..." His voice cracked and he couldn't finish.

"I can't either." She had already made up her mind to try to talk to him and see if he would change his mind about trying to fight the disease. "And I can't believe that he would just...give up this way." Her phone rang. "Hi, Cowboy."

"Where are you?" Matt was so glad to hear her voice on the other end of the line.

"We're leaving the airport. Where are you?"

"Out looking for Lisa." He told her what had happened and about his visit to Judge Maynard's office.

"I don't care what Lyons says: she wouldn't start using again." She could tell by the sound of his voice how tired he was.

"I'm on my way to meet him now. We might have a location on Young. Y'all be careful, ya hear?"

"We will, baby. You take care of yourself out there, okay?"

"I will. Love you."

"Love you, too. 'Bye." Hanging up she blew out a breath and then began telling the others what had happened.

Meanwhile, Matt stopped a few blocks away from the location that Mark Lyons had given him, pulling out his vest and exchanging the shoulder holster for the tactical model that he usually wore when working. "Much better." Getting back into the truck he went eastward a half mile before turning north on St. Elmo. He spotted the SUV that Lyons was driving and parked behind it. Much like he had a couple of years earlier, he got out and approached the passenger side of the vehicle and slid inside. "Laid eyes on him?"

"Nope. But my CI says he might be over there." The detective motioned across the railroad tracks just to their west. "Three houses up on the right." Handing the man a pair of binoculars he leaned back.

Matt scanned the area. "Lovely neighborhood." The paint peeling from the sides of the clapboard houses was a depressing sight even on such a bright and beautiful day. "How do you want to work it?"

"Seeing as how it dead-ends there at the tracks I don't really think they'll be expecting us to roll up from over here. Not exactly easy on the equipment, but hopefully it'll be effective."

"Fine by me. Is it just the two of us?"

"Yup."

"You want the front or back?"

"Front."

"Let's do it." He slid out of the vehicle and went back to his own, following as Lyons quietly eased across the tracks. As soon as he saw that Matt was across as well, both men punched the accelerators and within seconds Lyons was stopping in front of the house as Houston barrelled through to the back yard and sprang out of the vehicle. A lookout had evidently spied them and as Lyons reached the front step of the house two men came running out. At the same time Matt intercepted a man running from the back of the house firing at the detective as he cleared the cracked foundation and landed in the bare yard, the shot richocheting off of the fender of the SUV. Houston fired back, taking him down with a shot to the lower leg, injuring him just enough to stop his progress. Standing on the man's right wrist and taking the pistol away from him, the cowboy pointed his Glock right at his head. "Where's Young?"

"Son of a bitch!" The squeal that came from him as Houston rolled him roughly over and cuffed him only served to infuriate the detective even more.

"Where is he?" He tightened up the cuffs as far as they would go and flipped the man back over.

"Go to hell!"

Putting the muzzle of the gun to the temple of the younger man, Houston growled, "You'll get there first – I guarantee it." He watched as the prisoner's Adam's apple bobbed a couple of times. Pressing the weapon harder against his skin he spoke again. "Last chance: where is he?"

"I don't know." Tears began falling.

"Oh, you're just breakin' my heart. I'm gonna count to three...one, two,..." He put the muzzle of the gun right between the man's eyes.

"I swear I don't know, man, please! Please!" The man began quaking, the snot beginning to flow down his face and the strong smell of urine filled the air.

"You gotta be kiddin' me." Houston rolled the man on his side. "Bend your knees. C'mon...you aren't hurt that bad. It's just a scratch." He helped him to his feet and took him around to the front of the house where Lyons had both of the other men in cuffs and hooked up to one of the concrete pillars on the front of the house.

"I already checked inside. Nada. Except for some weed and meth. They say they haven't seen Young ." He looked at Matt's prisoner. "What the hell?"

"Don't ask." Matt shoved the man against the SUV. "What about this woman? Have you seen her?" He removed a picture of Lisa from his pocket. All three shook their heads. "If you have you better speak up right now..." His voice was such a low growl it took Lyons by surprise.

"I swear on a stack of Bibles, man." Matt's collar was still sniffling as his two buddies looked worriedly at the man who had captured their friend, then both vehemently shook their heads no as they were shown the picture again.

Houston put the picture back as his phone began ringing and he stepped away from the group while Lyons began frisking them. "Yeah, Chuck?"

"I've gotten into her phone records. There isn't much there. Most of the calls are either to her home phone or Brian's cell phone. I tried checking the GPS on it and it's turned off right now. But..." He leaned back in the desk chair. "...keep your cool here, bud: your boy Brian ain't at school. The GPS on his phone shows that he's walking around the neighborhood. Ten bucks says he's lookin' for Lisa."

"I took him to school this morning." Matt felt his temper beginning to kick in again.

"Bud, calm down; if it was you in his shoes you would be doing the same thing. Want me to go pick him up?"

"Hang on." Turning to Lyons he motioned to the prisoners. "Have you got these guys?"

"Yeah, go do what you gotta do. I've got a unit on the way to take 'em in. He sure as hell isn't goin' in my truck." He looked at Matt's collar who was still shaking.

"Give me his location, Chuck." Walking around to the back yard, Matt heaved a sigh as his friend rattled off the street he was on. "Thanks. I got things straightened out with the custody deal."

"Good. What're you going to do when you pick him up – other than read him the riot act?" Chuck gave a smirk. A few years earlier the thought of Houston dealing with kids at all much less teenagers would have seemed completely foreign.

"I don't know." He paused as he got into the SUV. "I can't get onto him too much; like you said, I would be doing the same thing. We'll talk about it later. Besides, maybe he can help."

"Good. Okay, well..." The detective paused. "Hang on, the Boss Lady is here. I'm putting it on speaker."

"Houston, I've got a couple of possibles here. Chuck and I are going to check them out."

"I appreciate it. Let me know."

"We will."

Chuck disconnected the call and they went out to the parking lot, the sheriff climbing into the sergeant's vehicle. Neither spoke for a minute. "What's wrong with him, Chuck?" Martinez shot him a look.

"Don't know." He paused for a minute. "I've known him for over thirty years...and I'm worried about him."

"He and CJ aren't having problems are they?"

"No...and I don't think that's something that we'll ever have to worry about. Those two..." He shook his head and grinned thinking back to their childhood. "I guess we shouldn't have picked on 'em like we did; they probably would have been married a long time ago and had twenty kids running around by now. Everybody knew they were in love from the time they met." The expression changed. "But there's something bothering him. Maybe he's just got too many irons in the fire."

 _Thursday, 1:15PM_

"Get in." Matt had rolled up behind Brian and the look on the boy's face would have made him laugh if he wasn't so worried. Without a word the teen climbed into the SUV. "We've got an APB out on her; Chuck and the sheriff are checking out a couple of leads now, and Lyons and I just hit a house that we thought Young might have gone to; no sign of either one of 'em."

The boy just nodded, turning to look out the passenger window. Reaching over, the man squeezed his shoulder. "We'll find her, Bri." His reply was a nod. Looking at his watch, he turned right at the next corner and started back toward the apartment complex. "Let's get some of your stuff. You're going to be staying at the ranch."

"I need to be here in case she comes back."

"No. You'll be at the ranch. We'll leave her a note just in case. As of this morning I've got custody of you again." The words seemed to hit the boy.

"You know, you don't have to assume that she's using again." Anger filled his voice. "Something else could have happened."

"I didn't say she was."

"But you thought it."

"I've defended her all morning, Brian. Lyons automatically thought that she was and I said the same thing to him."

"I'm sorry."

Matt stayed quiet as he drove along, pulling into the lot of the complex and then following the boy up to the apartment. "Looks good in here."

"We've done a lot of work on it. She's gotten really good at plants and stuff." He motioned to the windowsill that was full of flowers. Matt went into the kitchen and just as he had a couple of years earlier, he looked around for anything that might give him an idea of Lisa's whereabouts. The bills were all current, everything was neat, and he noticed that she had opened a savings account that she had labeled "College". Even though he had told her that he would be taking care of Brian's educational costs, she had insisted on putting away some money for it. He once again found Brian's birth certificate and put it in his pocket. Drifting back to the woman's bedroom he looked around, checking every possible hiding place that she might have hidden drugs or needles, and didn't find anything. It was all neat as a pin. Lisa Landers wasn't using: he would stake his life on it. He started back out of the room then turned for another look, a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something bad had happened to the woman; he just hoped that she was still alive, but with every hour that passed the likelihood that she was safe dwindled.

The pair met up in the living room and after locking the door, went back downstairs where Matt found the on-site manager and asked for her help. "If she shows up, please call me." He handed over one of his cards.

"I can't believe that this is happening again. She's been so happy. We've been trading plants back and forth, having coffee together on the weekends..." Margie Stewart was near tears. "I really don't think that she would use drugs again, Mr. Houston."

"Neither do we. Just let us know if you see or hear anything, okay?"

"I will. Brian, you take care of yourself, okay hon?" Reaching up she gave the boy a hug. "At least I know you're in good hands."

The drive out to the ranch was quiet except for the chatter on the police radio. "How's CJ?" The boy looked over at Houston, noticing that not only did he look worried but tired.

"She's good. Kids are keeping her busy. And she's been helping out with a case or two."

He nodded. "So you said this morning that you can't be everywhere at once...is that what's wrong?"

Matt sighed. "I've got..." He paused, not able to tell the boy about everything that he and CJ were working on because of the sensitive nature of it. "I've got a lot of work that I'm having to do with Derwin Dunlap – it's a project for the government. Plus I'm helping the FBI with a few things. I've still got a class that I need to complete for the Fire Marshal's office that has already been put on hold twice..." He stopped there. "I'm sorry I said that this morning. I had no right."

"Yes you did. I don't how you do all that stuff. Just getting my homework done and taking care of things around the house after school are bad enough – even when I don't have football practice."

"Once we get the business with Derwin finalized it should calm down." He turned onto the road where the ranch was located. "Madre Rosa is sure gonna be glad to see you."

"I've missed her, too. And the others." The reply was a nod, but a sad expression crossed the cowboy's face and left Brian wondering once again if he was telling the whole story.

Matt parked the SUV behind the house and slid out, going back to help the boy remove the items that they had brought with them. It didn't occur to him that the the teen hadn't seen the new bunkhouse.

"Wow! That is...it looks like something that you would see in one of the old westerns. Cool."

"Just wait til you see the inside." Matt nodded. "Ben and Marcy did a great job on it. They're working on the old house at the PH now. Lord knows it needs a lot done to it." They entered the kitchen and the smell of Madre Rosa's cooking filled the air. Ordinarily, Matt would have been looking into the pots and pans to see what she was making; today he didn't have the time or the appetite.

The petite woman came into the kitchen from the front of the house, giving Brian a big hug. "Just look at you! So handsome! And why haven't you come to see me?" Although she was smiling now, it was plain to see that something was bothering her as well, her eyes seemed puffy and slightly red to the boy. "Take your clothes upstairs – your room is all ready for you."

"Thanks." He went on toward the front of the house to the stairs where Catey Rose caught up to him and demanded a hug and piggy back ride upstairs so that she could help him.

" _Hijo..."_ Rosa approached Matt as he poured coffee into a travel mug. "You didn't eat breakfast this morning."

"Didn't feel like it." He took a sip of the coffee and leaned against the kitchen counter for a minute, trying to decide what his next move would be.

"You need to eat." She began pulling food out of the refrigerator.

"Don't..." He shook his head.

"Yes, I am. You may be all grown up now, but I'm still going to take care of you while you're here." The stubborn little lady continued what she was doing as he watched and thought about what she had just said. From the time he was five until he left for the Army, she was the closest thing to a mother that he had ever had.

"Madre Rosa, I really don't want anything."

"But you're going to eat anyway – because I say so." She turned and gave him the same stern look that he had received on many occasions as a kid. Even when he had grown taller and stronger than her, all it would take was that look and he did as he was told. "Sit." He remained where he was. "Now, _hijo."_

With a sigh, he went to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair. "Where's CJ?"

"She and Sheila are with Ollie at the PH." Even with her back turned, Matt could picture her face and knew that she was trying to hold back the tears. Watching as she began making him a sandwich he saw her shoulders begin to shake and knew that she was crying once again. Crossing back over to the counter he gently turned her around to face him and pulled her into a big hug. It was then that the dam broke and she started crying in earnest. "It just isn't right..."

"We don't get to decide that. Remember?" He kissed the top of her head. "The Man Upstairs is the one that decides." He involuntarily gave a chuckle and she looked up at him. "You know, the first few times you told me that when I was a kid I thought you meant Daddy." Both gave a little laugh.

"Do you think CJ can change his mind?" Wiping away the tears she turned loose of him and went back to what she had been doing.

"I'd say if anybody can it's her...or Sheila. I tried talking to him last night after I got in, but..." He shrugged and his voice got softer. "I guess it really isn't anybody's business but his."

"Sit." The housekeeper had regained her composure and went back to making him a sandwich.

Houston had a seat and Brian came in with Catey still riding on his back. The little girl immediately wanted to go to her dad and he took her onto his lap as Brian sat down at the table. "Are your brothers takin' a nap?"

"Uh huh. They been busy today." She watched as Madre Rosa put a sandwich down in front of him and returned to the kitchen to make one for Brian.

Matt's phone rang. "Yes ma'am?" He listened as Francine Martinez told him what she and Chuck had found out.

"Houston, it looks like Young has taken her. We tracked down one of his cellmates. He said all Zach Young talked about when they were locked up together was getting revenge on Lisa – and you."

"Did he have any idea where he might go?"

"He gave us a couple of ideas. I thought you might like to meet up with us. We're going to put together a few more people to help with the search."

"Where?"

"Meet us at the office."

"I'll be there quick as I can." He hung up and set Catey down. "You stay here, kiddo. I've gotta go change clothes."

"You haven't eaten yet." Madre Rosa had returned with Brian's sandwich.

"Don't have time." He took off through the house, his footsteps going up the stairs echoing in the quiet.

Brian had picked up the sandwich in front of him but now put it back down on the plate and stood up. "You – sit." Rosa gave the boy a stern look.

"I'm going with him."

"No you aren't."

"Yes ma'am, I am." He waited for Matt who was back in just a couple of minutes, having changed into a pair of black tactical pants and one of his uniform shirts. Coming into the kitchen he began fastening the holster.

"I'll call you as soon as I know something."

"I'm going with you."

"Nope. You're staying put." He saw the crushed look on the boy's face as he looked up. "Look, if you think of something that might help call me. But you don't need to be out there. This guy is dangerous as hell."

"I'm not a baby – I can help track him down just like anybody else."

"Nobody said you were a baby. But you aren't a cop, either. Stay here. Help Madre Rosa with the boys. With CJ and Sheila at the PH she could use a hand." Kissing the top of his daughter's head he knelt down next to her. "I need you to be extra good right now, Lady Bug. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes sir."

"Love you." He got a hug from her and then went out the kitchen door and down to the SUV, leaving Brian to watch after him, a glare of undisguised anger following him as he backed up and then took off down the driveway.

"Sit, eat." Rosa came and sat down next to him, taking the two year old onto her lap and shushing her. "Don't be angry with him, Brian."

"I don't see why he won't let me help!" The sixteen year old slouched in the chair.

"He already told you – it's too dangerous." She watched as he shook his head. "Brian..." Pausing, she chose her words carefully. "Matt's got a lot of things going on right now."

"Which is exactly why he oughta let me help. I feel like an idiot just sitting here."

"You aren't just sitting here – you're going to help me with Catey and the boys."

"I'm not a babysitter! And why is Sheila at the PH?" Angrily, he looked over at the woman and saw a hurt look in her eyes.

After a pause she answered him. "Because she and CJ are trying to talk to Ollie." The blank look that he gave her let her know that Matt hadn't told him. "Brian...Ollie may not be with us much longer."

"Why in the world would they fire him? He does a great job." During his stay at the ranch Brian had spent a lot of time with the old cowboy and learned a lot from him about horses.

"They aren't firing him." Doing her best to stay calm she took his hand. "Ollie has cancer. The doctors say he doesn't have very long."

"No." He shook his head, hoping that he had heard her wrong. "But..." He paused. "There are things they can do, right? Medicine and all..."

"They say there isn't anything they can do." She watched as he digested the news. "CJ and Sheila are trying to convince him to talk to another doctor. Matt tried last night. He says that the doctor has already consulted with someone else and..." Stopping, she did her best to remain calm.

Catey had been quietly looking back and forth between the pair. Although she was too young to understand what they were talking about she knew that Madre Rosa was near tears. "Don't cry." She gave the elderly housekeeper a big hug. "Daddy be back later."

"That's right. Your daddy will be back later." Rosa patted the toddler on the back and returned the hug.

Brian sat staring at the sandwich in front of him, now better understanding why Houston had acted the way he had earlier and the knot in his stomach tightened as he thought about what he had just learned. "Why didn't Houston tell me?"

"I guess he thought you had enough on you already."


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

 _Thursday, 3:07PM_

"There you are." Chuck met his friend as he came into the building. "We're meeting in the conference room. Got a little more information."

Houston followed his friend into the room, the same one where he had been sworn in as a member of the department the previous year. Much like then it was a buzz of activity and as soon as he and Chuck walked in, Martinez called the group to order. "Wylie, bring us up to date."

"We finally got a fix on Lisa Landers' car, ran it for prints, and got two hits: Zachary Young and Brandeis Wiggins." Two mugshots popped up on the screen behind him. "As you all know, Young is the one that held her captive for a month once before...and unfortunately it looks like he's involved in her disappearance again."

"What do we know about Wiggins?" Houston's voice resonated in the room.

"He's got priors for guns and drugs." Chuck pulled up Wiggins' record. "His brother Andre has a shop on Port Road down by Taylor Bayou." The detective pointed out the location on a map. "As luck would have it, he's got a warrant on him, too."

"And we're going to serve it." Houston looked at the location as Wylie nodded and zoomed in on it.

"There are three doors: a large bay door and an office door on the north side of the building and a bay door on the back. According to what we've been able to find, the business repairs heavy machinery."

Matt listened closely as Martinez went into detail on exactly how they would approach the shop and execute the plan. As she finished she looked around at the group. "We need information from these people if Lisa Landers isn't there. We also need to keep everyone safe. Use your best judgement and watch each other's backs out there. Let's roll."

Going back out to the parking lot, Houston got behind the wheel of his SUV, the passenger door opening and Francine Martinez hopping inside. Chuck and De la Cruz were checking their weapons and loading up into Wylie's vehicle. Altogether four units rolled out of the parking lot and Houston hit the siren and lights as he went toward I-45. Once again his phone rang. "Houston."

"Hon..." CJ paused, hearing the siren in the back ground.

"Babe, we've got a lead on where Lisa might be..."

"Okay. Just...well, be careful and call me afterward okay? Love you."

"Love you, too." He hung up and punched the accelerator as he merged onto the interstate headed southeast.

Martinez watched as he worked his way through traffic, moving swiftly to avoid cars that refused to move over. "If I didn't know any better I would think you've been a cop for twenty years. You're pretty good at this." The statement got a slight nod from him. "This may not be the right time, and I know that we haven't known each other for a long time, but I know you well enough to say that there's something bothering you – besides Lisa Landers."

"Got a lot going on right now."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Shaking his head he skillfully merged onto I-610. "No ma'am. But thank you just the same."

They rode on for a couple of minutes, the blaring of the siren the only sound aside from the engine. "Is CJ okay? The kids?"

"Yeah." He was trying to block everything from his mind aside from trying to find Lisa and Francine's questions weren't helping any.

"Houston..." The exasperated look on his face spoke volumes. "So I'm nosy; I'm concerned and so is Chuck. What the hell is going on?"

"I..." He paused. "One of our people..." There was another pause. "Can we please talk about this later?"

"Alright – but you better..."

"I will."

"Just so we understand each other."

He nodded again and continued to think about what he was trying to do, all the while fighting a gnawing feeling that they weren't going to find Lisa alive this time. From the moment that Brian had called him a gut instinct told him that they were already too late. The closer they got to the shop on Port Road, the stronger the feeling grew. Her text to Brian kept running through his mind: _I love you. Call Houston._

They reached the target – a large metal building on the south side of Port Road, the gravel of the parking lot crunching under the tires of the vehicles. Two units went directly to the back of the building while Matt and Chuck took the front. The plan was to storm the building and surprise the occupants, hopefully taking them down without any problems. As they entered the building shouting for everyone to get down on the floor, Matt saw one person going up the stairs located on the east side of the building. He started after the man, almost certain that it was Brandeis Wiggins. Yelling out for him to stop, he continued to chase him up the stairs dodging a metal barrel that the man shoved down the stairs at him. By the time he made it to the top, Wiggins had disappeared into several rows of metal shelving that were filled with machine parts.

Taking a quick peek around the corner and down the first aisle of shelving, Matt could see that there was no other exit from the top floor; if Wiggins was hoping to escape he had gone the wrong way. "Come on out with your hands in the air." There was no reply and he could hear as the other officers down below were gaining control of the lower level. He worked his way on over to the next aisle, once again taking a quick peek around the corner and seeing nothing, then advancing on to the next aisle. Standing with his back against the solid metal end of the shelving, he took a quick glance back to his right. If Wiggins doubled back and got down the stairs he might have a shot at getting away, although from what Matt could hear, the officers downstairs were in control of the situation. It was then that he saw De la Cruz easing up the steps. Motioning to the other detective to guard the stairs, he continued across to the next aisle and another look toward the back of the building revealed no sign of his suspect. There was only one more aisle left; either he and Wiggins were about to have a face to face meeting or the suspect was going to double back. "You're out of options, Wiggins. Come on ou-..." Before the words left his mouth the man ran out of the aisle and leapt over the railing of the loft area, grabbing hold of a cable that was attached to a lift and swinging out over the lower floor. He began sliding down the cable as it arced toward the front bay door, kicking one of the deputies square in the chest and sending him sprawling out onto the gravel outside the door while Wiggins landed on his feet. As the cable swung back toward the loft, Matt jumped and grabbed it, sliding down quickly. Wiggins was running across the gravel parking lot with Chuck in pursuit of him as well as another deputy. Matt joined the chase and just as their suspect made it to the road, Chuck tackled him from behind. In a matter of seconds he was in cuffs.

After patting him down, the three men began walking him back toward the building. "Where is Lisa Landers?" Matt took a good look at the man. As he shook his head his long dreadlocks flapped against his shoulders and an evil smile spread across his face. "Where is she?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Wiggins continued to smile.

Chuck saw the expression on Matt's face and stepped between the two men. "Mike, take this idiot will ya?" He handed the suspect off to the other deputy and took Houston by the arm, lowering his voice so that no one else could hear. "Cool it, pard. I've seen that look before. Just stop right here for a minute and get your act together."

"I've got my act together, Chuck." Anger flashed in his eyes. "Is Young in that bunch?" He nodded in the direction of the building.

"Nope."

"Damn it!"

"Cool it, man." Chuck looked up and saw Martinez walking toward them. "The boss lady is headed this way. Calm down."

"Did you get anything out of him?" The sheriff looked between the two friends.

Wiley shook his head. "Nothin'." Both watched as Houston stalked off toward the building.

Looking at the other five men that had been in the building, the detective walked over to Andre Wiggins and took him by the arm, walking him outside to his SUV where he opened the back door. "Get in." He waited until the man had a seat. Andre Wiggins was about six inches shorter than his brother – hardly more than five feet tall. "Did you know that there's a warrant out for you?"

"No."

"Now why don't I believe that?"

"Believe whatever you want."

"I believe that you're going to get put in with some of the wrong people at the jail if you don't help me out."

"So this is the part where I'm supposed to act all scared?"

"You can act however you want; the fact of the matter is that all I have to do is say the word and your ass will end up bunking with one of the Las Serpientes and you won't last the night."

"Las Serpientes ain't nothin'."

"Think so? What are you – five foot nothing? I bet if I put you in there with one of their members you're going to come out of that cell in pieces." There was no reply and Wiggins looked out the window on the other side of the SUV. "I also know that your brother's friend is the reason that we showed up here today – we didn't come just for you. Brandeis and his friend Zach are the reason that we're here." Even though he didn't say anything, Houston could tell that he had the man's attention. "Because Zach took that woman and now here we are hassling you. And he's off running around somewhere while your ass is on the way to lockup."

"My brother was never good at choosing his friends."

"And because of that – here you are." He paused for a moment. "Now if you were to help me out I might be able to help you out a little bit." Wiggins shook his head. "We're going to go over this place and if we find anything that tells us that Lisa was here, you're going to be on the hook for kidnapping, too." Wiggins turned his attention back to Houston, the look on his face telling Matt that Lisa had indeed been at the shop at some point. "So what's it going to be? Take the fall for something that your brother and his stupid friend did – or are you going to be smart and help me out?" He followed Andre's gaze over to Brandeis who was acting as if the whole raid was nothing but a joke. "Your brother doesn't have a warrant – the most he'll get right now is maybe obstructing. He'll be out on bail in nothing flat. But this is your property..."

"Look – I didn't have anything to do with what him and Zach were doing."

"And?"

"And they had her here for a while. But she isn't here now."

"So where is she?" He waited as Andre fell silent.

"I don't know."

"You're gonna have to do better than that."

"I wasn't here, man – one of my boys called me and told me -" He stopped, looking up at the roof of the SUV.

"Told you what?" Matt's tone dropped down.

"They...damn!" Kicking at the seat in front of him, Andre angrily shook his head.

"Out with it – or so help me you're gonna go down for it." Houston felt his stomach churning, knowing that he was about to hear the very thing that he didn't want to hear.

"They killed her, man." He looked at Matt. "I swear on my kids – I wasn't here."

"What happened?"

"Marcus said that Zach went off on her – beat her with a wrench."

"Then what?"

"He said they loaded her into the back of a truck and left. They came back a while later and were laughing about getting rid of the body."

"Where?"

"I don't know."

"How long were they gone?"

"I don't know. Not long."

"Which one of these guys called you?"

"Marcus. The one with the yellow shirt."

Matt looked over to where the man was leaning against Chuck's SUV. As he looked up and saw Andre and the detective looking at him an expression of fear went across his face and he immediately looked down at his shoes. "If you know anything else you better tell me right now."

"That's it – that's all I know about it. I wasn't even here."

Turning away from the man, Houston went straight to Marcus and took him back inside the shop. Martinez exchanged a look with Chuck before following. "Where did they kill her Marcus?" Houston's voice was very quiet.

"I don't..."

"Andre told me that you called him. Tell me now or so help me you're going to be pinned with it." The growl sent shivers down the man's spine.

"Back there." Jerking his head in the direction of the back of the shop he looked at Matt. "It was Zach that did it."

"Show me exactly where it was." Houston allowed the man to walk ahead of him. He followed him back and when they stopped Marcus spoke again.

"It was right here. They used the pressure washer to clean up."

There was a drain in the floor of the shop and as Martinez joined them, Matt knelt down and looked at the covering; several long hairs were clinging to it. Without looking back up he spoke again. "Where did they take her?"

"I'm not sure."

"Where do you think they took her?"

Chuck joined the three as the words were spoken and looked to Martinez who was silently shaking her head, a sick look on her face.

"They weren't gone long – maybe the bayou?"

"What were they driving?"

"A truck. Some old truck that they had stolen. It was blue. When they came back they were in a car. I guess they got rid of the truck, too."

"Do you know where Zach is now?" The answer was a shake of the head. Matt walked out the back door and stood looking up at the sky for a minute. His worst fear had been confirmed, but he still needed to find Lisa's body – not only to make the case against Young and Wiggins but for Brian as well. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" Chuck looked back as Martinez led Marcus back to the front of the shop with the others and called in CSI.

"No..." Removing the ball cap from his head, Houston turned it around in his hands looking at the emblem on the front. "What am I gonna tell him?"

"Just..." The deputy stopped; he was at a complete loss for words. "Man, you did your best. We all did. But from what they're saying she was dead before Brian ever knew she was missing. There wasn't anything any of us could have done."

"I've got to find her, Chuck." He cleared his throat, ran a hand through his hair and put the hat back on. "I'm going to take a look at the bayou. Marcus thought they might have dumped her there because they got back pretty quick."

"Okay, we'll do it." He patted his friend on the back and looked at his face as he turned around. "You can't blame yourself. I know how you want to make everything right – but sometimes it just doesn't work that way, Houston."

As he waited for units to arrive with a boat, Matt studied a map of Taylor Bayou on his phone and tried to figure out where Young and Wiggins might have disposed of Lisa's body. North of Port Road the bayou wound first through an industrial area before heading east toward Galveston Bay. South of Red Bluff Road was mostly a residential area. In between those two it was mostly open land surrounding it. A closer look at the west side caught his interest: although they would have had to go onto private land, there appeared to be a definite trail that went very near the edge. From what little he knew about the two men, they weren't likely to exert more of an effort than was absolutely necessary to be rid of the woman.

"Find anything interesting?" Francine now stood next to the open door of the SUV where Matt was sitting.

"Yeah..." He turned the phone and showed her. Nodding her agreement, she looked at the phone. "That looks like a good place to start." She paused for a minute. "Did you call CJ?" He shook his head no.

"I..." He paused for a minute. "It wouldn't be fair to tell her over the phone and her there with Brian."

"But you could at least let her know that you're okay."

"And then she would want to know what we found out. I don't want to say anything without knowing for sure." He put the phone down on the console.

"Well since we're waiting on the boat, how about you tell me what else is bothering you?"

Matt looked out across the dusty gravel parking lot. "One of our cowboys – actually he's the foreman of CJ's ranch – just found out that he has cancer. There's nothing they can do for him."

"I'm sorry." She watched as he nodded.

"I am, too. I owe him – big time. He saved my life several years ago." Going on to explain how Ollie had been a rodeo clown back when Matt participated in bull riding, he told her about the incident in Amarillo where the man who now worked for him and CJ had helped him get untangled from a bull.

Chuck had approached and overheard the news. "Can't they do something? Chemo or..."He watched as Matt shook his head no.

"It's too far gone. They say it might be a matter of weeks."

"Damn." Chuck had gotten to know the old cowboy while helping to replace fences on the ranch and get it ready to run cattle again. "And now all this with Lisa..." He removed his hat and fiddled with the velcro on the back of it. "I'm sorry, bud."

"You and me both."

"So...you and CJ have custody of him; have you thought about...?"

"Yeah...I mean, I don't have a problem taking care of him. And CJ won't mind. Hell, he doesn't have anybody else."

"He's lucky that he found you two." Martinez watched as the man looked out across the parking lot again. She looked up at the crunch of gravel as one of the marine units pulled into the parking lot towing a boat. "Let's go see if we can find her."

After showing the crew of the boat where they suspected the body might be, Martinez and Houston followed them down to Breezeway Court and the boat launch that was located there. A short boat ride north and west took them to the area that the sergeant had seen on the map and the corporal who was driving the boat slowed down as they entered the small bay. Matt, Francine, and the other marine patrol officer on board all began searching the shoreline as the driver studied the sonar readout.

"Hold up..." Matt pointed to an area ahead where the branches of nearby trees and bushes appeared disturbed. "If they ditched the truck in here too, they couldn't have..." He stopped as he spotted something floating just at the edge of the bayou, not more than ten feet from where he had seen the broken branches. "Damn it." As they edged closer there was no denying that it was a body. He felt a lump in his throat.

"Oh, my God..." Martinez felt like she was going to throw up as they drew closer. The damage that had been inflicted on the body was unbelievable. Bruises covered every visible surface and the head was a mess of hair, blood, and exposed bone. She pulled out her phone and called it in as Houston stood silently looking at what was left of Brian's mother. Although she was floating face down, he recognized her hair.

Over the years Matt had seen more dead bodies than he cared to remember and admittedly some bothered him more than others. This one in particular got to him. After all she had been through when dealing with Young the first time, then getting herself sobered up and staying off of drugs...it just wasn't fair.

"Go..." Martinez had him by the arm and was leading him toward the back of the boat. "Sit down back there. You don't need to do this." He started to argue with her and was immediately silenced by the woman. "I'm the sheriff – you do what I say; now sit down and let us handle this." She turned and went back to the front of the boat as the crew began the task of recovering the body and documenting the scene.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

 _Thursday, 8:18 PM_

The drive to the ranch went much too quickly. All the way there Matt tried to figure out what to say, how to tell a sixteen year old kid that his mom was dead. His only living relative was gone.

Parking behind the house, Matt shut off the engine and sat for a moment, dreading going inside. Hopefully Catey and the twins were already in bed. He went in through the kitchen and walked down the hallway to the den. CJ looked up worriedly from the book that she had been trying to read and knew without a doubt that her husband didn't have good news. She closed the book and looked over to where Brian stood looking down at the line of trophies, ribbons, and pictures that filled the case that Bill Houston had built.

Matt crossed the room quietly and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. Slowly Brian turned to face him; one look at the face of the man told him that he didn't have good news. "No..."

"I'm sorry." The detective's voice was hardly more than a whisper.

"Where is she?" Brian's voice shook.

"They've got her downtown – at the Coroner's Office."

"I want to see her."

"No..." He saw that Brian was about to argue with him. "No, Bri. You don't want to see her."

"She's my mom!" He lashed out and hit Matt's chest, his fists pounding on the man who had been there for him and helped him find his mother before and who now reached out and pulled the boy into a hug as the tears fell from his eyes. "She's my mom." CJ went to the pair, silently hugging both of them. In the doorway of the den Madre Rosa and Sheila now stood, both silently crying as they heard the news. After several minutes the teen finally quieted down and CJ took him by the hand leading him toward the couch.

"What..." Hiccuping, he tried to dry his eyes. "What am I supposed to do now? How do I.."

"We'll take care of everything, Brian." CJ patted his hand.

"Was it Zach Young?" He looked to Matt who after hesitating for a minute finally nodded. "Where is he?"

"We don't know right now. But there's an APB out for him. And we've got his partner that was involved in it already."

"I want to see him..."

"Brian, you know that isn't going to happen – at least right now. Look..." Houston chose his words carefully. "I know you're hurting right now, bud – and you're mad as hell. I am, too. And I promise you that we will get Young. Every cop in the state is looking for him right now."

"Why didn't somebody tell us that he was getting out of prison? If we had known, we could have...I don't know. We could have done something."

"I don't know the answer to that; but I do know that Sheriff Martinez is looking into it."

"That does a lot of good - "looking into it"! It isn't going to bring my mom back!" He got up and stormed out of the den, running up the stairs.

Matt started after him but was stopped by Madre Rosa. "No, _hijo_. He needs some time. Nothing you can say right now will take away the hurt."

"She's right, hon." CJ was now by his side. "I think you need to get some rest." As he started to argue with her she silenced him with a finger to his lips. "You said yourself that every cop in the state is looking for him right now. Let them do their part." Reluctantly he agreed and the pair went upstairs.

A while later after hitting the shower, Matt came into the bedroom and sat down on the side of the bed as CJ entered the room after checking on the kids. Sitting down next to him she took his left hand in hers. "Now tell me exactly what happened." She listened as he went through the events that had taken place the night before.

"It's awful, CJ. There's no way he can see her. Her face is..." Shaking his head he looked down.

"I'll talk to him in the morning. I just peeked into his room and he's asleep. You need to get some rest, too."

After an hour of tossing and turning, Matt finally went to sleep and woke up again at 5:00AM. After sliding out from under CJ's arm, he got dressed and went down to the kitchen. While waiting for the coffee to brew, he looked out the kitchen window and saw that one of the trucks that was used on the ranch was gone. Knowing that ranch foreman Marty Hoffmann was usually up and about by then, he called the man's cell phone. "Hey. Who's gone down there?"

"Uh..." Marty walked through the bunk house and did a quick check. "Houston, we're all here. Why?"

"Oh, boy..." He turned and went up the steps two at a time and looked into Brian's room. The bed was empty and the boy was nowhere to be found. "Brian's gone. He must have taken the truck. Damn it!"

"Why would he take the truck?" Marty hadn't heard about the boy's mother and as Houston told him what had happened he let out a big breath. "Where do you think he would have gone?"

"I'm not sure. Kinda keep an eye out for him. Gotta go." Going back into his own room, he woke up CJ and told her what was going on and then tried to call the boy's cell phone but got no answer.

"Do you think he might have gone to the apartment?" She quickly began gathering her clothes together and got dressed.

"Don't know. I know he's got a learner's permit, but he doesn't have his license yet. I'm going to try to track him down. Talk to you later." Giving her a quick kiss he left the room and went back down the stairs while dialing Chuck and went out and got behind the wheel of his department SUV. "Chuck, I know it's early but we've got a problem." He informed his friend of what was going on. "I'm going to check the apartment first; can you try to run a check on his cell phone?"

"Yeah, yeah..." The detective was putting on socks. "I'll call down and get somebody started on it."

Matt left the ranch and went toward the apartment while monitoring the traffic on the police radio. No mention was made of anyone being pulled over in the vehicle. He didn't want to report it as stolen and get the boy into trouble.

Entering the parking lot of the apartment complex, he drove through looking for the white pickup; it wasn't on the property. "Brian, where the hell are you?" He left the lot and went towards the Sheriff's Office as his phone rang. "Yeah, Chuck?"

"Parker checked the cell phone's GPS. He's in the neighborhood where you found Lisa last time – just down the street. But the house that Young was using then is gone – the city tore it down a month or so after he was arrested."

"Alright, I'm headed that way."

"I've already got a unit going there."

"Just tell 'em that..."

"I've told them to take it easy on him. They're going to hold him until you get there."

"Thanks." Matt hung up and hit the siren, thankful that the traffic was still light. When he turned the corner onto Richardson street he saw the boy standing in front of the ranch truck arguing with the two deputies who had located him. "Brian..." The boy turned to see him. It was obvious that he had been too busy arguing to notice the SUV that had pulled up behind them. He immediately hung his head and got quiet. "Guys, I sure do appreciate your help." He shook with the two deputies who then went back to their vehicle and left. He leaned against the hood of the truck, still trying to figure out what he should say to the kid. Neither spoke for a minute and stood staring at the empty lot where Young's house had once been. Deciding to try to lighten the mood a little, the cowboy spoke. "Ya know, that place looks a lot better with all those weeds than it did with a house on it." Cutting his eyes over to the boy he saw a slight nod. "So..." Turning he faced the sixteen year old. "How are we going to get this truck back to the ranch?" His answer was a shrug as the boy turned away from him. Not knowing what else to say, he pulled out his phone and called Marty, asking him to send someone over to pick up the truck. Reaching inside the vehicle, he pulled out the key and locked it up. "Let's go." Brian remained where he was. "Bri..." He watched as the teen began walking down the street. "Get in the truck." He was ignored once again and walked after the boy, taking him by the shoulder and turning him around. "I said get in the truck."

"No."

"What in the hell do you think you're going to accomplish here? Young isn't here."

"Well maybe I can find somebody who knows where he is." The angry look the kid shot him cut him to the bone.

"We've got folks trying to do that right now."

Brian yelled at him. "They don't seem to be doing a very good job of it, do they?"

"We're doing everything we can right now..."

"Bull! They all think she started doing drugs again and..."

"No – they don't." He tried to steer the boy back to the SUV but Brian snatched out of his grasp. "Brian, get in the truck. Now."

"Go to hell!" The fist that connected with Matt's face took him by surprise. He stood motionless for a few seconds, the shock of what had just happened completely stopping him before his anger kicked in and he grabbed the kid by the arm, this time gripping down on him.

"I don't care how mad you are at me, you're getting in the truck and going home." The two struggled for a minute, but Matt's strength won out and he held the boy by both of his arms. "Brian, I'm sorry I couldn't find your mom alive, but she was already dead before we even knew she was missing. There just wasn't anything we could do."

Brian began sinking down to his knees as he burst into tears. "It isn't fair!"

"I know it isn't, but sometimes life just works that way." He knelt down next to the boy. "I'm sorry. God, I would give anything if this had never happened, if Young hadn't been released. The fact is that he was and what happened happened. We can't go back; we can only go forward. And you and I both know that your mom wouldn't want you wandering around down here. Now come on..." He eased Brian back to his feet and took him to the SUV, closing the door and going around to the driver's side.

"I'm sorry." Snuffling, the boy wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his t-shirt. "I never..."

"Don't worry about it." Matt started the engine and made a u-turn, heading back toward the ranch. A few minutes later his phone rang. "Hi, Babe. We're on the way home."

"Thank goodness." CJ gave a relieved sigh. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah..."

"I'll see you in a little bit. Love you."

"You, too." Stopping at a red light he looked over at the boy. "CJ was awful worried about you."

Shaking his head, the boy looked out the passenger window. "I want to see my mom."

Matt didn't answer, but kept driving. After a minute of trying to decide what to say he quietly began. "Bri, you really don't want to do that."

"Is she...is it really that bad?" He looked over at Houston.

"It would be better if you just remembered her like she was." Stealing a glance at the boy he saw the mix of emotions that he was going through. "I know that sounds stupid to you, but believe me..." He stopped as his voice cracked. The boy looked at him again as he regained his composure. "It's for the best."

They rode along in silence until Matt put the SUV into park behind the house and cut the engine. "Look..." He turned in the seat to look at the boy. "I know you're hurting like hell. I understand that. But you've got to understand that you need to stay here – stay safe."

"I want to help."

"And I appreciate that. But look at it: right now I could be working to find the son of a bitch and instead I'm back home."

"I'm sorry."

"I promise you – if it's the last thing I do, I will catch Zach Young."


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Houston walked into the cubicle that he and Chuck shared at the Sheriff's Office and silently sat down behind his desk. After ending his call, Chuck looked across at his best friend of over thirty years. "Did you get him back to the ranch?" His answer was a nod as Matt was working the keyboard furiously. Cursing as the phone rang again, he answered. "Wylie." There was a pause and he sat upright in his chair. "Where?" Matt looked up as his friend scribbled something down on a notepad. "No! Tell them NOT to move on him, you got it? We'll be right there." Slamming down the phone he jumped to his feet. "A deputy just located Young on Elysian Street." He grabbed his vest as did Matt and both men headed out to the parking lot, snagging two other detective's as they went. "The bastard is less than two freakin' miles away."

Getting behind the wheel of his SUV, Matt started the engine. "Call Martinez." Taking off out of the parking lot, he hit the lights. Turning north on San Jacinto, he listened as his friend made the call.

"She's on her way. She wants us to take the back and the others the front." Chuck pulled his pistol and checked it. "He was spotted going into the house. The deputy who called it in was off duty; he saw him, made the block, and parked on the street to keep an eye on the place." He glanced over at Matt. "Don't guess you've had a chance to look at the paper or watch the news today, have you?"

"Nope."

"It seems there are a whole lotta folks pissed off about the fact that Lisa wasn't given any warning that he was being released."

Stopping down the street from the house, Houston shook his head. "Who in the hell paints a house orange?"

"Probably the same idiots that let Young inside." He took a big breath. "Okay, pard. The gang's all here. You ready?"

"Yep." Both eased out of the SUV and along with the other detectives and the off-duty deputy quickly and quietly made their way up the street. The group split as they neared, with Houston and Wylie heading around to the back. They had just reached the back door when they heard Detective Parker knock and announce himself. In a matter of seconds the door burst open and four men tumbled out into the back yard. Matt's eyes locked on Young and he took off after the 23 year old, through the ragged and overgrown back yard of the house. The younger man made it to the chain link fence at the back of the property and sailed over it with the detective just a few strides behind him.

Young ran beneath two electrical towers, cleared another fence, and crossed the railroad tracks as he headed east. Houston had begun to close in on him but stumbled and fell on the far side of the tracks, rolling and jumping back to his feet. He caught sight of the killer as he dove around the corner of the recycling center and disappeared from view. Stopping as he approached the corner of the blue fence that marked the boundary of the center's property, he took a quick peek around and saw Young as he entered an old warehouse a short distance away.

"Where the hell did he go?" Chuck skidded to a stop beside his friend.

"Warehouse." Houston ran across the open area while Chuck paused to let the other detectives know where their suspect had gone. In a moment he followed Matt and saw as the man eased into the warehouse.

The darkness inside the deserted building surrounding him, Houston paused for a second and listened. Young was still on the move, the sounds of his journey through the building reaching the detective's ears just as his eyes began to adjust to the lack of light. Carefully he moved forward, continuing to listen for noises. He had gone about fifty feet when he heard a crashing sound and a curse from Young somewhere to his right. Old pallets littered the floor of the building as well as cardboard, nails, and all other kinds of debris that had been left.

Aware of the sound of Chuck moving through the mess, he focused on the noise of Young's progress through the building. The sound of something striking on metal was unmistakeable and the rumbling echo told him that the younger man was attempting to exit through one of the bay doors on the western side. Continuing to close in on him, Matt moved carefully trying to make as little noise as possible. He edged around a stack of pallets and finally saw Young. Pacing like a caged animal, he was furiously pulling on a chain trying to open the door when the sound of sirens and tires crunching outside froze him. He turned and spied the detective.

"It's all over, Zach."

"No..."

"Down on your belly...DO IT NOW!" Houston advanced on him but still he stood where he was.

Chuck appeared to his friend's left. "Get down on the ground! Now!"

Young turned back and made a desperate last attempt at pulling the chain using the entire weight of his body. The door grudgingly screeched open about a foot and the man dropped to the floor and began sliding out of the building only to discover that his way was blocked by four deputies and the sheriff herself. "Hands out where we can see them, Young." She took two steps toward him and he screamed as he was dragged back into the warehouse by both Matt and Chuck.

Houston cuffed him and slid under the door himself before dragging Young out, the man landing unsteadily on his feet just seconds before the detective pinned him to the hood of one of the vehicles and began searching him.

"Police brutality!" He yelled loudly.

"Dumbass, you're surrounded by cops. Who in the hell do you even think gives a damn?" Matt's voice was a vicious growl. "After what you did to Lisa this seems way too gentle."

"I didn't do anything. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Our witness knows – and he's willing to testify against you and Brandeis." He watched as Young got a concerned look on his face. "Who knows..." He snatched him upright by his collar. "Brandeis might just testify against you, too." .

A patrol car had just pulled up in the lot and Martinez ordered the deputy to transport him. Without a word, Houston turned and began walking beside the warehouse going back to where his SUV had been left on Elysian Street. As she started to offer him a ride back, Chuck stopped her. "I think you better give him a chance to cool off."

As he rounded the corner and went west, Matt pulled out his phone and called the ranch. "I need to talk to Brian." Madre Rosa walked out on the back porch where the boy had been sitting on the swing all morning and handed the phone over.

"Hello?"

"We just got him."

"Okay..." The boy paused. "Is he dead?"

"No."

There was silence on the other end of the line. "Thanks."

"I promised you."

"I know..." As tears began coursing down his face, he put his head in his hand. "I'm sorry..."

"Forget it." He crossed the railroad tracks. "I'll see you in a while, okay?"

"Yeah. 'Bye."

Three hours later Matt parked behind the house and looked up at the back porch where Brian sat with CJ. As he got out of the truck she came down the steps to meet him with Vinny in her arms. The baby squealed and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek as she handed him over to his dad. "How's he doing?"

"I'm not sure. He's been out here all day. Won't eat..." She shrugged her shoulders. "He hasn't really said too much."

Houston nodded and went up the steps, sitting down on the swing next to Brian. "How you doin'?"

There was a pause. "I don't know." Vinny reached out to him and the teen took his hand. "I'm not sure what to do. When my dad died Mom was there and we got through it together. But now it's just me..."

"No, it isn't." CJ put an arm around him. "We're right here with you."

"Right now. But what..." He stopped. "What happens next? You guys have already got four kids. I don't think you..."

"Brian, remember when we went to see Judge Maynard the first time? I told you then that I would do whatever it took. I meant it then and still do."

The boy shook his head. "That isn't fair to y'all." His voice cracked as he tried to control his emotions. "And...I don't want to move to California. I guess it sounds stupid, but...what about the team?"

"Well..." Houston stopped and looked to his wife. Brian was the quarterback for his high school team and had worked hard to lead them to the state finals for two years. "Look: we don't have to decide all of this right this minute, pard. A whole lot has happened over the last couple of days." All three looked up as one of the ranch trucks pulled in and parked. Ollie emerged and came up on the porch.

"Brian, I'm real sorry to hear about your mama." He held his hand out to the boy and they shook.

"Thanks." He hadn't seen or spoken to the old cowboy since his arrival at the ranch the day before. "I heard that..." Unsure of what to say he stopped. "I'm sorry."

"Tell you what; if Houston and CJ don't mind, why don't we take a couple of horses out for a ride?" The couple both nodded.

"Okay." He got up and followed the man back down the steps and to the barn as the Houstons sat and watched. In a few minutes the two headed out through the pasture toward the river.

"You know, Ollie may be just what he needs right now." CJ laid her head over on his shoulder as he nodded. Both looked up as Ben and Marcy Devereux parked and came up on the porch.

"Afternoon." Ben jerked his head in the direction of the pair that was slowly disappearing from view. "Ollie said that you wanted to talk to me?"

"I do." She motioned to the swing and the couple had a seat, both looking a little worried.

"Is there something wrong?" He removed the ball cap from his head and fiddled with it nervously.

"No, not at all. Ollie came to me earlier today with a suggestion for the PH." She paused briefly. "He thinks you should be the foreman."

"I couldn't do that, CJ. That's his job. I mean..." Both had already been informed of Ollie's illness. "That wouldn't be right."

"He wants you to replace him after..." CJ stopped, becoming upset herself. "You know." She felt Matt's hand on hers, a gentle squeeze to comfort her.

"I don't rightly know what to say." Ben looked at his wife who seemed as shocked as he was.

"Yes would be a really good answer. Ollie thinks you're the perfect one for the job and so do I."

"Then yes." A sad smile crossed his features. "I still can't believe the news about him."

Matt nodded. "I'd say he's taking it a whole lot better than the rest of us. You know when I talked to him Wednesday night he said at first he was mad as hell. But after he thought it through a little more he realized how lucky he's been."

"He was homeless for how long?" Ben was amazed.

"Several years. But what he said made a lot of sense. He spent over thirty years on the rodeo circuit. Used to ride bulls and then went on to be a clown. That's even more dangerous when you get right down to it. And then after he got gored by the bull and got down on his luck he lost everything he had and ended up on the streets."

"That's dangerous, too." Marcy shook her head.

"He said after he came here he had a job, a place to live, and the closest thing to a family he's had since he was seventeen." Matt paused for a minute. "Compared to a lot of folks that he knew out on the streets – he is lucky. And we're lucky to have known him."


End file.
